The first time Nicole Springer sang on a stage she was four years old. “It’s pretty much been a part of my life ever since,” she says. In her mid-20s, she began songwriting and playing around Kansas City venues. Her new debut album includes eight songs that span 20 years of her life. Springer is homegrown, from Oak Grove, and stayed in Kansas City until last year, when she began touring on the Royal Caribbean. “I love Kansas City,” says Springer. “But I’m ready to spread my wings and share my music all over.”
Springer’s album is described as a reflective piece and a culmination of her entire adult life. “It’s me growing up to the person I am today,” she says. In the past, she’s been a part of bands like The Clementines and The Good Hearts, but this will be the first release where all vocals, instruments, and production are her own.
How many instruments do you play?
I play a little bit of everything. I played clarinet, saxophone, and trombone in school, and I still play drums, piano, and guitar. I need to learn bass—that’s next. I’m completely self-taught on guitar, self-taught on drums, and I took an Intro to Piano course in college. But otherwise, fully self-taught. I play in my own unique way. This album is the first time I’ve ever played piano on a recording. It’s exciting because I’ve been shy about that. This album is about being fully myself and embracing the musician I am—just putting it all out there.
What’s your favorite cover to sing?
Oh, gosh. I have over 400 covers currently in my repertoire. Janis Joplin is a huge influence, so I love singing Me and Bobby McGee. I love singing Valerie by Amy Winehouse or Take Me to Church by Hozier. I try to make them my own and then I fall in love with them and appreciate them in that bare-bones way. I sing a lot of songs I love, so I’m lucky.
Do you have a favorite song on the album?
The one that really made this album come to be, as far as inspiration goes, is the second track, called Better Day. It’s a reflection song about a suicide attempt I made when I was 25. I really reached the end of my rope and gave up, but I survived. I realized after all these years that I’ve entered into better days. The song is about celebrating, overcoming, and reaching out to others to wait for their better day, too. It’s very important to me. The last song is called Power Is Always Yours, and that was inspired by my twin nieces who are dancers and creatives in their own right. They were having some doubts about themselves like we all do, and it inspired me to write that song. That one is close to my heart, too.